Conventionally, there has been widely used as an actuator for expanding/contracting a tube a pneumatic actuator having a rubber tube (a tube-shaped body) capable of expanding/contracting by using air as working fluid and a sleeve (a woven reinforcing structure) covering an outer peripheral surface of the tube, i.e. a McKibben type actuator (refer to PTL1, for example).
Respective end portions of an actuator main body constituted of a tube and a sleeve as described above are caulked by using a sealing member formed by metal.
The sleeve is a cylindrical structure formed by woven high tensile strength fiber cords such as polyamide fibers or metal cords, for regulating expansion movements of the tube within a predetermined range.
Such a pneumatic actuator as described above, which is used in various fields, is suitably used as an artificial muscle for a nursing care/healthcare device in particular.